Monday, February 15, 2016

A Few Things for Paleo Dieters to Consider

a) There was no ONE paleo diet. It all depended on climate and location (those closer to the Arctic ate more meat while those closer to the equator ate more plant-based foods). b) The true paleo diet in no way resembles the paleo diet of today in that the meat eaten by our ancestors was predominantly small game and much leaner while the plant-based foods were much higher in fiber. c) Most nutritional anthropologists now say that the average diet of humans during the paleo period (save for the Eskimos) was probably about 75% plant-based by volume and about 2/3rd plant-based by calories and so NOT predominantly meat-based. d) These same researchers are also saying that the true paleo diet was actually closer in terms of nutrients to the modern vegan diet than it was to the modern paleo diet (especially in regards to fiber) AND that our paleo ancestors DID consume grains and legumes. e) Most of the current research now points to meat, eggs, and dairy being the cause of inflammation and not grains. f) The vast majority of people on the planet can handle gluten and, being that whole grain wheat, barley, and rye have so many positive nutrients, should likely be eating more and not less of it. g) The caloric engines of human civilization over the last 4,000 years have been barley, corn, legumes, millet, oats, potatoes, sorghum, sweet potatoes, rice, rye, and wheat and, so, yes, it would probably be a major mistake to completely eliminate these foods. h) Plant-based diets are better for the environment (and if you don't believe just take a ride through North Carolina pig country - just don't drink the water). And i) human anatomy and physiology strongly suggest that man is much more of a forager than a hunter (the fact that we aren't torpedo-shaped, have much smaller stomachs than carnivores, have teeth that are much better suited for grinding than killing and shredding, don't walk on our tip-toes, have legs that aren't permanently flexed, etc.) and it has only been via technological advances that meat has ascended in our dietary hierarchy................................................................................................................................Bottom-line here. Yes, you can lose some weight on a paleo diet but it isn't a healthy lifestyle long-term. For more information I suggest the writings and lectures of dietitians Brenda Davis and Christina Warinner and doctors John McDougall, Robert Rosati, Francis Neelon, Walter Kempner, Milton Mills, and Caldwell Esselstyn.